CA2122015A1

CA2122015A1 - Protective hood for golf clubs

Info

Publication number: CA2122015A1
Application number: CA002122015A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Peter D. Gevas
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-11-12
Filing date: 1992-11-09
Publication date: 1993-05-27
Also published as: US5209280A; JPH07500999A; EP0612261A1; KR100188046B1; AU3131593A; WO1993009853A1; EP0612261A4

Abstract

2122015 9309853 PCTABS00022 A two-piece golf bag hood (10) attachable to the top of a conventional or customized golf bag (B) for providing hard-shell protection to clubs contained therein. One piece is fabricated of a generally elongate rectangular flat sheet of hard flexible material which is manually curved under stress lengthwise to form a sleeve (12) around the collar (C) opening of the bag (B) with overlapping ends joined by fasteners to form a rigid sleeve (12) extending beyond the club ends. The other piece is a single flat panel (30) or a pair of flat panels (50, 52) of similar material which forms a lid (14, 14') fastenable over the end of the sleeve (12). The pair of flat panels (50, 52) are adjustable to fit a range of golf bag openings. Various other fasteners secure the sleeve (12) and lid (14, 14') to appendages on the bag (B).

Description

~093/~9853 PCT/~92/09675 PROTECTIVE HOOD FOR GOLF CLUBS

Backqround o~_the_Inven~ion The present invention relates generally to g~lf bag hoods; and, more particularly, to a novel and improved hood ass~mbly suitable ~or compact s~orage and attachment to gol~ bags for protecting golf clubs from damage in transit.
Traveling with a golf bag and clubs po~es risks of them being damaged during transport, especially from baggage handling on airlines. Unquestionabl~, the best commercially marketed protectors are rigid, lightweight carrying cases which surround the entire bag and clubs.
Howev~r, they are expensive and their size makes them almost impossible to fit into the trunk compartment of most automobiles, even into the large~t of trunk compartments if there~is also a suitca~e to s~ow.
L~ss expensive gol~ club protectors use a one-piece hood attachable to the top of the golf~bag to enclose only the protru~ing clubs. U.S. Patents 1,414,85 to ~: ~anaford and 1,570,510 to ~cQuirk each:diRclose~ a one-: piece cover def:ined by a fla~ t~p with a downwardly : 25 pro~ecting sleeve for encircling the top opening of the golf~bag. Their con~iguration and 8~bstantially ri~id construction`preYent them from ~eing rolled up for stox ge in ~he~ag itself, or from being flattened out . for placement between bulky items. U.S. Patent 3,985,171 ~o Susmers et al. discloses a golf bag cover d~sign~d to parate the irons from the woods during transportO
Although the cover is more pliable and ~menable to storing in a golf bag, i provides no hard-shell : protection of the clubs against external impact.
3~ Furthermore, the cover must be customized ~or each size and shape bag opening.

W093/0~853 PCr/US~2/~9~7~

., 21~201~ 2 SummarY of the Invention A~cordingly, it is an obj~ct o~ the present invention to provide a novel and improved a golf ~ag hood which can be readily attachable over the top of the bag for reliably prot~cting protruding clubs ~rom damage due to rough handling such as might occur in transit.
Another object i8 to provide a golf bag hood which provides hard-shell protection to clubs within the bag against external impact, which can be readily tailored ~o fit on most conventional or customized golf bags, and which can be quickly in~talled on a golf bag.
Still another object is to provide a relatively inexpensive two-piece golf bag hood which can be easily assembled and disassembled for convenient st~rage flat or along cur~ed walls of the trunk compartment of an automobile, or rolled up for storage in the golf bag~
A ~urther ob~ect i to provide a prot~ctive hood for golf bags which i8 u~table for universal application on a variety of golf bags of different size and shape openings.
: Briefly, ~hese and other objects of the invention ~ are achi~ved by.a ~wo~piece hood attachable over the top l~ : o~ a conventional:or CUB omized golf bag containîng i ~ pro*rud ng club .: One piece includes a gener~lly rectangular flak:~heet of hard flexible ~aterial ~hich ~; : may be cur~ed lengthwise under ~tress completely around ~: Uhe c~l:lar opening o~ the bag with the ends joined by fasteners to fo~m a ~leeve extending beyond the ends Of!
the clubso The other piece includes a flat panel of the : 30 same mat~rial:with a perimeter generally congruent with the sh:ape of ~he collar opening ~o form a lid attachable by fasteners to enclose the ext~nded end o~ the sleeve.
: ~lterna~ively, the o~her piece may include ~wo interfacing flat panels adjustable to conform more :~ . 35 ~I
: l ~093/09853 PCr/USg2J0967~

clo ely to the collar opening. Clips and tie~ af~ixed to the inner and outer sur~aces of the sleeve enable the hood to be secured to various golf bag appendages such as the handle, back strap, u~brella loop, compartment lany~rds/ etc. The inner sur~aces of the sleeve and lid may be lined with an elastic material to cushion the impact of loose clubs against the hood. In it~ assembled form, the sleeve is axially and radially rigid thus affor8in~ substantial protection to the clubs against abu~e and rough hand~ing in transit.
For a better understarld of these and other objects and aspects o~ the invention, refersnce will be made to the following detaile~ description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Brie~ Description of the Drawin~s Fig. 1 is a side view of a two-piece protecti~e hood for gol* clubs, according to the invention, as~embled and : : p~rtially attached ~xternally to the top o~ a golf bag;
Fig. 2 ~s a sectional view of the as~embled hood taken along the line 2 ~ of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a ectional view of the ass~mbled hood taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;
F~g. 4 is a sectional view of:the a~sembled hood ~, 25 with a lid:t~k~n along the line 4-4 of Fig, 3;
: Fig. 5 is a:view o~ a sle~ve of the hood outstretc~Qd in an unstr~ssed state;
` FigO 6 is a fragmentary side view of the a~sembled : hood installe~ in id~ a golf bag opening by an over , ~
center clamp fastener;
Fig~ 7 is~a ~ragmentary side view o~ t~e aæsembled : hood with an alternate fastener for joining the ends of ~l the sleeve;

i: 35 : I
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Fig. 8 is a ~chematic representatisn of the fastener of Fig. 7 taken along the line 8-8.
FIG. 9 i~ a perspective view of the upp~r portion of an alternate embodimen~ of the protective hood according to the invention with a lîd adjustable for dif~erent golf bag openings;
FIG. 10 is a plan view of the adjustable lid of FIG.
9 with outstretched ~ides; and FIG. 11 is a view in cross section of the adjusta~le lid taken along the line 11-11 of FIG. 10.

Description of the Pref~rxed Embod ments Referring now to the drawings wherein like characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several ~iew~, there i~ shown in Fi~. 1 a gol~ club prot~cti~e hood a se~bly 10 t mounted on the upper psrtion of a golf bag B, which id~ally includes a re~atively rigid ~etal reinforced collar C around the ~ op~ning at the upper end, a carrying handle H below the : ~ 20 collar, and a shoulder ~rap S attached at one end to ~ collar C and at~the ~thér end, not sh~wn, to the lower : portion of the bag. ~ther appendages axe a}so provided ~ on~the bag for carrying ~arious acce~sories such as a : ~ loop ~for an umbr~lla, a rin~g R for club head covers or a ladie~ purse~ and internal compart~ents lanyard~ T
~: (Fl~- 3)-~
~ ood aæse~bly lO cons~ist of two s~parate and di~crete components: a sleeve 12 and a lid 14 attachab~2 thereto.: Referrin~ ~o Fig. 5, sleeve 12 co~pri~es a :: ~
g~nerally elo~gate rectangular shell 16 of hard and lexible material:and of sufficient length which, when curved leng~hwise around collar C, allows the ends to ~ ove~lap. The width is ~uf~icient to uppvrt lid 14 above '.;
':
~, `~93/09853 PCT/~92J~9675

2~22015 all of the clubs, not shown, whiah would protrude above the rim of collar C. The shell material is preferably a durable impact resistant metal or plastic sh~et. ' Approximately midway between the ends of shell 16, a notch 16a extends across at a width and a depth sufficient for ~itting around the end of the strap S
where it attaches to collar C when it i.s formed into sleeve 12 and properly installed. Cut-outs and shell configurations to fit the styles and fittings o~ other bags:~re possible without departing from the funda~ental inventive concepks herein described. One side of shell 16 includes a liner 18 contiguously fixed thereto ~orming ther~by the interior surface of sleeve 12. hiner ~8 is pref~rably a soft elastomeric material ~or c~shioning t.he impact of any loose clubs against the shell 16.
Shell ~6 further defines a tab 16b extending from one end with one in~erlocking me~ber 20a of a hook and-. loop type fastener~such as Velcro0 fixed to the in~er ~: side of tab 16b. The other interlocking me~ber 20b is : 20 ~ixed to th~ outside of shell 16 at the ~ther end. The ; ~astening memb~rs are positioned relative to each other to interengage when shell 16 is curved around the bag collar C to form sleeve 12. A~ditional buckles 22 and -i~ s~raps 22a~af~ixed:to the outer sur~aces of ~hell 16 at the oppoæite e~ds~h~reof provide ~uppl~mental ~astening.
A series:of~clips 24 fixed in spaced r~lation to ~, each other along th Iength of shell 16 and projecting inwardly and downwardly ~rom liner 18 are posi ion~d from the bottom edge of shell 16 according to th~ contour of the rim of collar C. Wh n sleeve 12 i~ properly installed~ the rim is fully seated in clips 24. Tie-downs 26~ fixed to the inner and out~r sur~ces of shell 16, are pro~ided at locations within tieing reach of .~
., strap S; loop L,:ring R and lanyard T to ~cure sleeve 12 l~ 3S
,.i ~

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W093/~9853 P~T/US92/0967~ , 212~015 to bag B. Of course, it is understood that other locations for clips 24 and tie-downs 26 are contemplated depending on the contour of the collar rim and location of the golf bag appendages.
As best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, lid 14 includes ~ flat panel 30, pre~erably of the same material as shell 16, with a perimeter generally of the same size and shape as the transverse cross sectional openlng of collar C in order to enclose the top of sleeve 12 when .
the bottom end is secured around the collar opening. A
continuous ridge 30a projecting from the inside margin of panel 30 and r~cessed from the p~rimeter thereof provides a s~ug fit with sleeve 12 when se~.ured about collar C.
Panel 30 is retained on s}eeve 12 b~ intexlocking members 32a and 32b of a hook-and-loop typ~ fastener. One member 32a is affixed to the outer sur~ace of shell 16 along its entire upper ~argin. The other member 32b is ~egmented : and fixed to the p~rimetPr of thin, flexible flaps 34v such as a strong ~d durable fabric, secur~d at spaced in~ervals around ths top margin of panel 30. Fig. 4 howst in broken outlin~, the outer edges of flaps 34 outstretched from the p¢~riphery oP panel 30. ~hen lid 14 is in p~aa~ on sle~ve~12~ the ~dg~s are turned down allowing the int~rl3cking me~ ers 32a and 32b to ~ngage and tightly ~cur~ lid 14 to sleeve 12.
Installakion of the hood assembly should now be readily appar~nt. With ba~ B preferably in the upright po~ition7 hell 16 i~ held ~t its ends in both hands wi~h notch l~a registered over chou~der ~trap S at its ~onnection wi h collar C. As the end~ are curved toward ~ach other around the collar C, sh~ll 16 is m~ad : do~nwardly until the rim of collar C is fully se~ted within clips 24. The shell ends are then overlapped and tightly secured by hook-and-loop members 20a and 20b, and ~yo93/0g853 P~T/~S92/09675 21~`01r~

buckles 22 secured to straps 22a. Lid 14 is then pressed onto the top of sleeve 12 and secured by hook and-loop members 32a and 32b upon turning down flaps 34. Finally tie-downs 2~ are connected to their associated golf bag appendages.
Fig. 6 illu~trates a means for securing the protective hood to the inside urface af the gol bag opening. Hood a~sembly 10' and bag B' are sligh~ly modified versions o~ the afored~scribed to include an over-center clasp 36 fixed to ~hell 16 and an interengaging hook 38 fixed to the bag.
Figs. 7 and 8 rspresent an alternate means for clamping the ends of shell 16'. Intermeshing tee~h 40, fixed to facin~ end surfaceæ of shell 16' are secured by tightening a wing nut 42 on a bolt ~4 ~xtending ~rom one end of ~hell 16 t ~hrough a tran~versely aligned ~lot ~6 in the other ~nd. Bolt 44 may ~lide within the slot thereby allowing tightening adjustment of shell 16 ~ for slight variations in the size o~ the golf b~g collar C.
2 0 Al hough ~he abc~ve-de~cribed protec~ive huod ass~mbly 10 ' i5 tailorsd for tlhe conI:iguration of golf bag B ', it should be noted that the sleeYe and lid co~poneTlts 12:and~ 14 may b8 uniYersally c:on~igured to fit a large ~rari~ty o2 golf bag openillgs within a range of ~;h~?es and ~;izes~:without departure from t~e fundamerltal :~: invention aonc~ts herein described and claimed.
~:
: Referring to FIGs 9, there is shown an alternate : embodi~ent of the protective hood wi~h an ad~u~tablP lid 14 t attached to leeve 12. As better shown in FIGs. 10 and 11, it includes:~lat outer and inner panels 50 and 52, respecti~ely, with faci~g sides fixed against each :~ other by a finger-tightened nut and bolt ~astener 54 extending through overlapping slots 56 and 58. Panels 50 : 35 :, ~ .

W093/n9853 PCr/US92/0967!

2122~1~

and 52 have congruenk perimeters which coincide when placed entirely one upon the other. In the illustrated embodiment, the perimeters of panels 50 and 52 are-circular, however, oth~r perimeters ~uch as rounded rectangles and elipses are contemplated to accommodate different size and shape openings of golf bags.
Slots 56 and 58 extend radially from ~he center of their respective panels and coincide lengthwise to p~rmit relative displacement of panels 50 and 52 an amQunt limited by fastener 54 engaging opposite ~nds of slots 56 and 58. The length o~ each slot is approximately half the adjustable displacement of panels 50 and 52 from their coinciding po~ition.
Other slo~ and fastener arrangements are possible.
For example~ fastener~54 ~ay be fixed to one of the panels and extend through a ~lot in the other panel. The slot length would determine the a~ount of relative panel diæplacement. Also, plural ~lots and fasteners are contemplated.
In a manne~ ~imilar to the embodiment o~ FIGs. 1 5, panels 50 and 52 :are retained on:~leeve 12 b~ hook-and-: loop~type fast~ner~:~60 o~ flexible flaps 62:and 64 engaging me~ber ~2b a~fixed to the outer surface of shell - : 16 along its entire upper marginO
~: 25 Some:o~ the ~any adv~ntage~ and.novel fea ures should now be readi~ly apparent. For ~xample, ~ two-piece golf ~ag h~od is provided w~hich can be readily assembled : and attached to th~ top of a golf bag ~or prot~cting ~ clubs ~rom damage due to rough handling during transport.
:. 30 When ~he ~omponents;are a sembled, they become a unitary rigid struc~ure, thus a~fording optimum protsction of the ~ : clubs.~: It can be quickly disassembled;Xor convenient : : :

~ 0s3/osss3 PCr/US92/0967~

2122~

storage, such as flat or curved along the walls of a trunk compartment of an automobile or rolled up in the golf bag. The hood can be easily tailored to fit mo~t conventional or austomized golf bags.
It will be under~tood of course, that various other changes in the m~terial~, steps and arrangeme~ts of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the inv~ntion, may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

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Claims

1. A hood assembly (10) for installation on a golf bag (B), comprising, in combination:
sleeve means (12, 16) fabricated of a generally flat elongate shell (16) of hard flexible sheet material of sufficient length to encircle with overlapping ends the circumference of the open end of the bag (B);
first fastening means (20a, 20b) for selectively interlocking the overlapping ends; and lid means (14) formed of a generally flat hard material having a perimeter generally congruent with a transverse cross section of the open end of the bag (B), and second fastening means (32a, 32b) for selectively interlocking said lid means (14) to the upper margin of said sleeve means (12, 16) when said first fastening means (20a, 20b) interlocks the overlapping ends of said sleeve means (12, 16).

2. A hood assembly (10) according to Claim 1 further comprising:
a plurality of clips (24) extending inwardly and downwardly from said sleeve means (12, 16) and positioned to engage a rim at the open end of the bag (B) when said sleeve means (12, 16) is installed on the bag (B).

3. A hood assembly (10) according to Claim l further comprising:
a plurality of tie-downs (26) fixed to said sleeve means (12, 16) and positioned-to be tied to respective appendages on the bag (B) when said sleeve means (12, 16) is installed on the bag (B).

4. A hood assembly (10) according to Claim 1 wherein:
said sleeve means (12, 16) includes a tab (16b) extending from one of said overlapping ends; and said first fastening means (20a, 20b) includes interlocking hook-and-loop members, one of said members (20a) being fixed to said tab (16b), and the other member (20b) being fixed to the other end of said sleeve means (12, 16) for registering with said one member.

5. A hood assembly (10) according to Claim 1 wherein:
said second fastening means (32a, 32b) includes interlocking hook-and-loop members, one of said members (32a) being fixed to the upper margin of said sleeve means (12, 16), flexible flap (34) secured to: aid lid means (14) at paced intervals along the perimeter thereof, and the other of said members (32b) being fixed to the outer margins of said flaps (34) for registering with said one member when turned down over the upper margin of said sleeve means (12, 16).

6. A hood assembly (10) according to Claim 1 further comprising:
an elastomeric means (18) fixed to the inner surface of said sleeve means (12, 16) for absorbing impact of any loose contents in the bag (B).

7. A hood assembly (10) according to Claim 1 further comprising:
third fastening means (22, 22a) including at least one buckle (22) and strap (22a) for securing the overlapping ends of said sleeve means (12, 16) when contiguously encircling the open end of the bag (B).

8. A hood assembly (10) according to Claim 1 further comprising:
a clasp (36) fixed to said sleeve means (12, 16) and positioned to interlock with a mating hook (38,) appended to the bag (B).

9. A hood assembly (10) according to Claim 1 wherein:
said shell (16) includes a transverse slot (46) in one of said overlapping ends;
said first fastening means (40, 42, 44) includes intermeshing teeth (40) fixed to facing surfaces of said overlapping ends, a bolt (44) extending from one of said ends adjacent said teeth (40) and extending through said slot (46) formed in the other end of said overlapping ends when said sleeve means (12, 16) encircles, and a nut (42) threadable on said bolt (44) for tightening said teeth (40) in meshing engagement.

10. A two-piece closure device for an open end of a generally cylindrical container comprising:
a shell (16) of flexible, normally flat sheet material defining a generally elongate rectangle of a length sufficient to encircle the open end with overlapping ends;
first fastener means (20a, 20b) operatively connected to the overlapping ends for selectively preventing said shell (16) from returning to its normally flat state;
a panel (30) of flat sheet material having a perimeter general congruent with the open end of the container; and second fastening means (32a, 32b) operatively connected to said shell (16) and said panel (30) for selectively securing said panel (30) to said shell (16) when said first fastening means (20a, 20b) interlocks the overlapping ends of said shell (16).

11. A closure device according to Claim 10 further comprising:
third fastening means (24, 26) operatively connected to said shell (16) for selectively securing said shell (16) to the container at the opening thereof.

12. An enclosure for protecting golf clubs in transit comprising:
a golf bag (B) having a substantially rigid collar (C) around the top opening said bag (B) including appendages in close proximity to said collar (C);
a shell (16) of flexible, normally flat sheet material urged into a generally cylindrical configuration with one end contiguously secured around said collar (C);

17,1 PCT/US92/09675 first fastener means (20a, 20b) fixed to said shell (16) for releasably retaining said material in said configuration;
a lid (14) removably secured to the other end of said configuration for enclosing the top opening of the golf bag (B); and second fasteners means (32a, 32b) secured to said shell (16) for releasably securing said shell (16) to said golf bag (B).

13. A two-piece closure device for an open end of a container comprising:
a flexible, normally flat sheet having a generally rectangular shape for resiliently curving under stress between opposite sides to form an axially stiff tube with open ends, said sides being overlappable for contiguously engaging one end of said tube with the open end of the container; and lid means (14') having a perimeter for removably connecting to the other end of said tube, the perimeter being adjustable for contiguously engaging the other end of said tube.

14. A closure device according to Claim 13 wherein said lid means (14') further comprises:
a pair of interfacing flat panels (50, 52) movable relative to each other in the plane of said panels (50, 52) for varying the perimeter of said pair; and fastening means (54, 56, 58) operatively connected to said pair for securing said panels (50, 52) at a selected perimeter.

15. A closure device according to Claim 14 wherein said fastening means (54, 56, 58) fur her comprises:
a slot (56, 58) in one of said panels (50, 52)) and tightening means (54) disposed in the other of said panels (50, 52) and slidably extending through said slot (56, 58).

16. A closure device according to Claim 14 wherein said fastening means (54, 56, 58) further comprises:
a slot (56, 58) in each of said panels (50, 52) overlapping lengthwise in the direction of relative movement of said panels (50, 52); and pin means (54) slidably extending through said slots (56, 58) for tightening said panels (50, 52) together at their interfaces.

17. An enclosure for protecting golf clubs in transit comprising:
a flexible, normally flat sheet having a generally rectangular shape for resiliently urging into an axially stiff tube with overlapping sides and open ends, said sides being overlappable for engaging one of said ends with said collar (C); and lid means (14') having an adjustable perimeter formed to be removably connected to the other of said ends.

18. An enclosure according to Claim 17 wherein said lid means (14') further comprises:
a pair of interfaces flat panels (50, 52) movable relative to each other in the plane of said panels (50, 52) for varying the perimeter of said pair; and fastening means (54, 56, 58) operatively connected to said pair for securing said panels (50, 52) at a selected perimeter.

19. An enclosure according to Claim 18 wherein said fastening means (54, 56, 58) further comprises:
a slot (56, 58) in one of said panels (50, 52); and a tightening pin (54) disposed in the other of said panels (50, 52) and slidably extending through said slot (56, 58).

20. An enclosure according to Claim 18 wherein said fastening means (54, 56; 58) further comprises:
a slot (56, 58) in each of said panels (50, 52) overlapping lengthwise in the direction of relative movement of said panels (50 , 52); and pin means (54) slidably extending through said slots (56, 58) for tightening said panels (50, 52) together at their interfaces.